Viral UCLA Gymnast Katelyn Ohashi: 5 Things You Need To Know

UCLA senior, gymnast Katelyn Ohashi is officially a viral superstar after she strutted her stuff in a floor routine with some seriously sassy dance moves, which earned her a perfect score!

A video of her routine has already snagged 3.3 million views on Youtube and earned praise from Senator Kamala Harris and dozens of Internet fans!

If you’re not familiar with the now-viral gymnast, you should be. Here’s 5 things to know:

1.) She beat Simone Biles!

Katelyn was on the USA Gymnastics Junior National Team for four years, the Washington Post reported. In 2013, Katelyn beat out Simone Biles (now a five-time Olympic medalist) to win the all-around title at the 2013 AT&T American Cup. She earned a score of 59.1999 to Simone’s 57.666.

2.) She left elite gymnastics after her big American Cup win:

“That girl that you would think had it all — all these medals in her room or podiums she’s standing on? She felt like she had nothing,” Katelyn said in an August 2018 video about herself, which she narrated on The Players’ Tribune.

The site also reported the athlete had “been competing on a fractured back and had two torn shoulders.” She opened up more about her injuries last year while speaking to Lenny Letter. “By 2012, I probably had like three stress reactions in my back,” she told the website. “Two stress fractures in my fibula. My back is permanently messed up. I’ve had two shoulder surgeries.”

3.) She went to UCLA to try and find joy in the sport again!

Katelyn reached out to Valorie Kondos Field, who coaches at UCLA, and ended up joining the team.

“She pushes you to express yourself in many different ways, which fits with our diverse culture, where other teams would tell you to tone down,” Katelyn told Los Angeles Magazine in 2017.

4.) Katelyn loves her floor routines:

“Floor is when I really get to express myself,” she told NBC Nightly News following her most recent viral turn. “That’s my party time, my play time.”

5.) This isn’t the first time she’s gone viral:

Last year, Katelyn’s routine at the Pac-12 Championships went viral as viewers watched her dance, flip and perform to a medley of Michael Jackson hits. It has more than 4.6 million views on YouTube, but in total, the LA Times reported it was viewed more than 90 million times.